1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a structure for holding a tape cartridge; the tape cartridge has a case and a single reel which is contained in the case and around which a recording tape such as a magnetic tape used as a record reproducing medium for a computer, is wound.
2. Description of the Related Art
A magnetic tape cartridge is known that includes a single reel which is contained in a case and around which a magnetic tape used as a data record reproducing medium for a computer is wound, is conventionally known. A leader member, such as a leader block, leader pin or leader tape, is fixed to a leading end of the magnetic tape. The leader member is drawn from the magnetic tape cartridge by a drawing device provided in a drive system. The magnetic tape fastened to the leader member is wound around a take-up reel of the drive system.
In addition, a reel gear is inscribed in an annular shape at a center of a lower surface of the reel, which is exposed through the hole formed at a lower surface of the magnetic tape cartridge. A driving gear provided on a rotating shaft of the drive system is engaged with the reel gear to rotate the reel. Data is recorded onto the magnetic tape and the recorded data is reproduced by synchronously rotating the reel of the magnetic tape cartridge and the take-up reel of the drive system.
Usually, a large number of recording tape cartridges having such a structure are accommodated in an accommodating rack called a library. There are a library 100 having a robot hand 70 which serves as a grasping device which grasps the both side walls of a recording tape cartridge 108 as shown in FIG. 10; a library 110 having a robot hand 80 which serves as a grasping device which grasps (nips) the top and bottom surfaces at the rear wall side of a recording tape cartridge 118 as shown in FIG. 11; and the like. The desired recording tape cartridge 108, 118 is automatically removed from an accommodating chamber 102, 112 by the robot hand 70, 80 or the like, and is conveyed to and loaded in one of plural drive devices 90, such that recording/playback of data is carried out (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 7-6465).
Namely, the robot hand 70 is structured so as to freely move in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction by guide rails 76, 78 and the like. The robot hand 80 is structured so as to freely move in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction by guide rails 86, 88 and the like. The robot hands 70, 80 can thereby be disposed so as to oppose the respective accommodating chambers 102, 112 of the libraries 100, 110 and respective loading openings 92 of the drive devices 90. Accordingly, when the desired recording tape cartridge 108, 118 is to be removed from among the plural recording tape cartridges 108, 118, first, the robot hand 70, 80 is moved by the guide rails 76, 78, 86, 88 to the position at which it opposes that recording tape cartridge 108, 118.
Then, the robot hand 70, 80 is moved to advance forward in the horizontal direction. In the case of the robot hand 70 shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, claw portions 72 at the distal end of the robot hand 70 are inserted into grasped portions 106 (which hereinafter may be referred to as “concave portions” upon occasion), which are concave and are provided at both side walls of the recording tape cartridge 108, and the bottom surface of a rear wall 104 side of the recording tape cartridge 108 is supported by a plate-shaped supporting portion 74. In the case of the robot hand 80 shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the top and bottom surfaces of a rear wall 114 side of the recording tape cartridge 118 are nipped by claw portions 82, 84 which are at the distal end of the robot hand 80.
In this way, the desired recording tape cartridge 108, 118 is grasped by the robot hand 70, 80. Thereafter, due to the robot hand 70, 80 moving so as to withdraw rearward in the horizontal direction, the recording tape cartridge 108, 118 is removed from the accommodating chamber 102, 112 of the library 100, 110.
Note that, in the case of the library 110 shown in FIG. 11, as shown in FIG. 9, claw portions 117, which serve as an anchor device and are provided at both side walls 112B of the accommodating chamber 112, engage with concave portions 116 provided at the both side walls of the recording tape cartridge 118 (i.e., the claw portions 117 are inserted into the concave portions 116), so as to anchor and hold the recording tape cartridge 118. The claw portions 117 project out in a state of being urged toward the inner side of the accommodating chamber 112, and are elastically deformable toward the left and right outer sides (i.e., in the directions of the illustrated arrows S). Accordingly, when the recording tape cartridge 118 is to be removed from the accommodating chamber 112, the claw portions 117 elastically deform appropriately toward the left and right outer sides (in the directions of the illustrated arrows S) so as to come out of the concave portions 116 and permit movement of the recording tape cartridge 118.
In this way, the recording tape cartridge 108, 118 which has been removed from the library 100, 110 is moved to a position opposing the loading opening 92 of the desired drive device 90, and thereafter, is loaded into the drive device 90. Predetermined data is recorded onto the recording tape cartridge 108, 118, or recorded data is played back therefrom.
In this way, a large number of the recording tape cartridges 108, 118 are accommodated in the accommodating chambers 102, 112 of the libraries 100, 110, and are removed and loaded into the drive devices 90 by the robot hands 70, 80. However, for each type of leader member, the recording tape cartridge has a different external size, i.e., front-back direction length, left-right direction width, top-bottom direction height, and the like. (For example, a width V of the recording tape cartridge 108 which has a leader pin is slightly smaller than a width U of the recording tape cartridge 118 which employs a leader block.) Providing the library devices 100, 110 which correspond to the respective recording tape cartridges 108, 118 having different sizes (different types of leader members) presents problems in terms of reducing space and reducing costs.
Moreover, at either of the library 100 or the library 110, when plural types of recording tape cartridges having different sizes (different types of leader members) are accommodated therein (e.g., when the recording tape cartridges 108 and the recording tape cartridges 118 are both accommodated), in a case in which it is not possible to adjust the interval between the claw portions 72 of the robot hand 70 or the interval between the claw portions 82, 84 of the robot hand 80, it is not possible to sufficiently grasp either the recording tape cartridge 108 or the recording tape cartridge 118. An error, such as dropping of the recording tape cartridge 108, 118, may occur, and the recording tape cartridge 108, 118 itself may be damaged.
In addition, in a case in which it is possible to adjust the interval between the claw portions 72 of the robot hand 70 or the interval between the claw portions 82, 84 of the robot hand 80, a step for adjusting the interval between the claw portions 72 or the claw portions 82, 84 for each recording tape cartridge 108, 118 having a different size (a different type of leader member) is needed. Therefore, a loss of time corresponding to such a step arises in the time required for the operation of removing the recording tape cartridge 108, 118 from the library 100, 110 and loading it into the drive device 90.
Still further, the depth of the concave portions 116 formed in the recording tape cartridge 118 accommodated in the library 110 shown in FIG. 11 is formed to be more shallow than the length by which the claw portions 117 project (refer to FIG. 9), in order for the claw portions 117 to be able to easily come out due to elastic deformation (i.e., so as to that claw portions 117 are not inserted-in that deeply). The depth of the concave portions 106 formed in the recording tape cartridge 108 is substantially the same as a length (width) N of the claw portions 72, or is formed to be slightly deeper than that, and is formed to be deeper than the concave portions 116 (see FIG. 8) in order for the claw portions 72 to be inserted in the concave portions 106.
Accordingly, when the recording tape cartridge 108 is accommodated in the library 110, the claw portions 117 which engage with the concave portions 106 are inserted-in deeply by an amount corresponding to the amount of projection thereof. When the recording tape cartridge 108 is pulled out from the accommodating chamber 112 due to the rearward withdrawing movement of the robot hand 80, the claw portions 117 catch on corner portions 107 of the concave portions 106, which corner portions 107 are at a front surface 106A side which is the library accommodating side of the concave portions 106, and cannot be removed smoothly. Because the claw portions 117 are pulled-out forcibly, there is the concern that they may be damaged.